A restaurant in Burnham is thanking staff at Wexham Park Hospital by delivering free meals every Tuesday and Thursday.

The initiative sees staff at Artigiani Del Cibo and volunteers including Burnham resident Kevin McMullen and TV star Will Mellor prepare, pack and deliver 200 free meals to the hospital on both days.

The idea to provide free meals was first put to the owner of the restaurant in the High Street, Antonio Seldini, by Kevin and his friend Tom Barroso. Kevin said: “[I] thought of a way to try and help some staff at Wexham hospital. I’d seen some stuff on [the] TV and internet of other people helping so I got started.

The initiative, which has now seen more than 1,000 meals delivered, is being funded by 13 companies including Kevin’s company M&S Decor South Ltd, The Ideal Garden, HB Consulting and Potters Arms, with donations totalling £5,600.

Antonio said: “The hospital personnel, the nurses, the doctors [they are] putting their lives at risk and honestly we are doing this with all the energy we have and it makes me feel great when I see the nurses clapping and taking the food.”

TV star Will Mellor, who has lived in Burnham for about 10 years and is helping with the initiative, said: “They all send us pictures back saying thank you very much and it was delicious and they come out to meet us [and] we have a little chat.

“It’s a small gesture but I mean small gestures can add up to a lot. My father passed away just literally a week ago. It literally floored me.

“[This] takes my mind off what’s happened. It was a big loss, I mean its quite tough at the moment but this is a good focus for me to do.”

James Ruffell and his Ministry of Silly Walks Signs. James put up a Ministry of Silly Walks sign to encourage people to do a silly walk when they go past his house. The idea is based on a scene from the Monty Python movie. High Street, Sonning. James Ruffell